A lost Empire
by Scouter18
Summary: Eldians were believed to be a lost race, an ancient history that many question it's truth. But a young group will venture out to prove the legend to be real. While searching they discover some incredible secrets hidden on the mythical 'Paradis island', some incredible and some Malevolent.
1. Chapter 1: Back in time

_Once, in the ancient times of the first glorious civilisations of man, there stood a proud nation who stood at the forefront of mankind. A race of people so great and knowledgable, other kingdoms paled in comparison._

 _They were known as the Eldian empire._

 _For centuries the lived in peace, prosperity and comfort. They ruled over their land with justice and wisdom. All was well._

 _Until it ended._

 _It began with one young girl, Ymir Fritz, who wanted to know more about the ancient beings that guarded over them and the kingdoms her people ruled. The '9 Titans' as they were called at the time._

 _The colossal, the biggest of all the titan, stood as the flaming destroyer._

 _The Armoured, the stone shield that stood as a bull work against Eldia's enemies._

 _The female, the executioner. A warrior who stands as the guillotine for all sinners, as well as the only female goddess.._

 _The Cart, who oversaw the land and what it provided, spreading fertility of the crops across the land._

 _The jaws, the swift and agile. Tearing apart anyone who dared near his powerful jaw and blade like teeth. But also a messenger._

 _The beast, who looked over nature and all living things, he also ranked as a commander amongst the titan ranks._

 _The war hammer, who observed all and delivered divine punishment through the storms he brewed._

 _The Attacker, who always seeks justice and freedom for all his Eldian subjects. A true god of war._

 _And finally, the coordinate._

 _The king of all the titan._

 _Ymir sought to find and meet these gods hoping she could out more about her own people as well as herself. She visited an ancient temple, a monumental shine built to appease the Eldian gods. There she performed a ceremonial ritual to call forth the coordinate in hopes of somehow conversing._

 _It didn't go as planned._

 _Instead, she allowed the 9 gods to take control of her, mind, body and soul._

 _And then, within a human host, they unleashed their fury._

 _Apparently, the gods believed Eldia had become decadent and arrogant in its time, had lost their faith the old ways and needed a reminder of what true terror their gods could bring._

 _With the 9 titan's powers, Ymir Fritz unknowingly destroyed her entire race. She brought storms forth, rained fire down from the sky, plagued the lands and controlled the minds of the people, forcing them into slaughtering one another. Every disaster that could befall man had been brought upon this once great kingdom._

 _And as the final punishment for any of the few survivors, they were sentenced to a cataclysmic horror._

 _Ymir brought about a event that completely destroy the country in which the Eldia's resided. Floods and earthquake sank the lands to the very bottom of the sea as a final punishment and she along with it, so that they may never be found._

 _And with this final act of destruction, the Eldians were wiped from the face of earth._

* * *

"...And just like that, an entire civilisation was lost to the wild rage that was the 9 titans. Or so the story goes..."

There, in a small bedroom, sat a mother and a child. A little girl tucked in her bed, listening as her mother told her stories of legends and mystery. The usual fairy tales tended to bore her, so she listened to the adventures and histories her mother had such a vast knowledge of.

"What happened after that?" asked the little girl eagerly.

"Hum?" The woman questioned.

"What happened to Ymir Fritz? Did she really just let herself sink along with Paradis? And is an entire country really under the ocean?"

Her mother simply chuckled at her daughter's interest in all her story. She shuffled closer to her, running a gentle hand through her blonde hair.

"Well Annie," The woman began, "No one knows what really happened to Paradis island. History believes it to be lost forever. But there is another legend–"

"That a part of Paradis still remains on the surface world..." Interrupted a voice from the opposite side of Annie's room. Both blondes looked up to find Johann Leonhardt, Annie's father, stood leaning against the door frame, a grin on his face. "That most of the country lays at the bottom of the ocean, while a fragment of land remained, laying in a sea of mist. That's why it called Paradis _island_ now. "

He walked over towards his two favourite girls, taking a seat at the edge of his daughter's bed.

"Really? Is that true mom?" asked Annie.

Her mother simply shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. No one really knows."

Annie still persisted though, wanting to hear more about her favourite story. "But the both of you explorers. Couldn't you find it?"

"We're archaeologists Annie," explained her father, "we don't know if its even real or not. But if it was, it would be the biggest find in history." He then reached over to playfully ruffle his daughters hair. "Hey, maybe one day when your all grown up, you'll find it."

Annie laughed as she tried to swat her dad's hand away but instead of retracting it, he reached over to grab both his daughter and wife in a playful hug.

The small family laughed in joy as the all hugged one another. It was moments like this that Annie truly felt the happiest in her life. Sure, sometimes her parents would leave for a long time and she didn't get a lot of time with them but they did it for her and their growing family. And when they did spend time together, like they were now, it made the little blonde cherish every minute she had with her parents.

Johann let both his wife and daughter go from his grip , his laughter dying down. "Alright my little lion cub, it's time for you to go to sleep." he said.

Annie got herself tucked back under the covers and laid down her head. She felt her mother lean down to lay a gentle kill on her temple and her father run a gentle hand along the side of her head.

"Night mom, night dad." she said as she let out yawn, her eyes feeling droopy.

"Goodnight honey." said Natasha. She and her husband both made their way out of her room, leaving her door open.

As sleep began to take over, Annie had one final thought.

'Don't ever let things change.'

* * *

 _(12 years later)_

Annie let out a frustrated sigh as she ran a hand through her tied back hair, annoyed by the amount of paper work she was dealing with.

This, she thought, was definitely the most annoying part of her job. Usually she didn't have to deal with this side of her job but since the guy who usually did it was of in a meeting with some big shot higher ups, she was landed with it today.

She had been cramped up in this tiny office for nearly a hour and a half now and it was starting to drive her mad.

But she really couldn't complain too much. Annie had graduated university to became an archaeologist. She was able to travel around the world as a career, not many people could say they could do this for a living.

And besides, it was one of the few thing she had left to reminder her of her mother.

Annie was nearing the end of her mountain of paper when she heard a light knock on the door.

"It's open." she simply said.

She looked up to find Pieck, a fellow colleague and team member, entering the room.

"Are you almost finished up with that?" Asked Pieck as she made her way deeper inside the office and closer to Annie's desk.

"Almost," said Annie "I just has a few more things to fill out. Why? Is Zeke finished with his meeting?"

Pieck nodded. For some reason, Annie notice, she looked slightly giddy. Like she had been holding something in that needed to be let out.

"Yep." she said, and Annie notice it in her voice as well. That slight giddiness.

"And...?"

"And," Pieck began, "He apparently has some very exciting knew to share."

* * *

 _ **This is the first chapter of an AU I've been wanting to write for a while. I'll post the full AU on my Tumblr ( .com) along with a few of my own sketches on it. Let my know what you think about this first chapter and if you want more of them.**_

 _ **Thank you!**_


	2. Chapter 2: A new Job

_**Read notes at the end**_

* * *

With the cold, crisp morning air gently blowing in his face, Zeke Jeager stared out of the open window of the conference room in quiet contemplation.

After the latest conference with the board of directors, Zeke had assembled him team up for a very serious discussion about what would happen next.

He looked back from the widow to look at his team, only those who were currently present that is. Reiner and Berthold sat at the conference table playing idly on their phone, while the pair of brothers stood drinking coffee.

"I still don't understand why we can't just get started already." grumbled Porco as he downed the rest of the bitter black coffee from the mug.

"Patients," said Zeke as he stomped his ciggaret out and tossed the bud out of the window, "we still have to wait for the girls."

After a minutes or so of more silent waiting, they hear a gentle knock at the door

"Ah, that must be Pieck along with little Annie," Said Zeke as he to his seat at the table. "Come on in." he called out.

The door opened and indeed, both women walked in the room. With all party members present, Zeke gathered them all around to begin the meeting.

"As you five already know, I was just recently in a meeting with our superiors. We were discussing a possible job for us to take in the field."

"Finally," said Porco, "We haven't had a good field job in months."

Reiner looked to Zeke, an almost excited look on his face. "So where are we goin'? Aferica? India? The Amazon? Please tell me its the Amazon."

Marcel let out a chuckled. "Are you kidding? After what happened the last time?"

Reiner simply shrugged, "What can I say," he began, "I love the thrill of danger I guess."

"At the cost of our lives, moron?"

"Ah, bite me Porky."

"Screw you-"

"Anyway," Zeke interrupted, "This _is_ a pretty big job and no, Reiner, it's not the Amazon."

"Bummer."

Just then, Bertholdt desided to pitch in. "So what is this new job?" he asked.

"This is something much more bigger then anything we've ever done before." said Zeke. He then looked to each and everyone of them.

"Tell me," he began, "Do any of you know of the legend of Paradis island?"

Annie's breath hitched in her throat.

"Paradis island? I Don't think I've heard of it before...?" Said Marcel. And from the looks of everyone else, neither had they.

"...Wait, isn't that an old mythical story about the Eldian empire and that entire race was destroy be some Titan gods?"

"Exactly right Pieck!" exclaimed Zeke.

He walked on over to the other side of the room, picking up a large wooden box from one of the side tables once he reached them. He then brought it over to the young group, placing it gently on the table for them all to see.

"When I was a kid my father, Grisha jeager, set out on an expedition to find and proves the existence of the very same island, but him and his crew never made it back." Zeke paused for a moment before continuing, "the search was declared a failure. Four months ago, a underwater excavation team happened upon the ruins of a sunken temple off the shores of a small sand bank and managed to recover many item. They brought them here for us to study and upon further inspection, we discovered these."

He flicked the latches of the wooden chest open and lifted it top off. Then, with great care, he proceeded to take out some small objects, just bigger than the whole of Zeke's hand, each wrapped in cloth. After removing all of them, he motioned for the rest of his team to take a look.

Each of them gently removed the cloth to find that each object was a stone tablet, with odd carvings that none of them recodnised.

"What are these?" asked Marcel as he gently ran his fingers along the engraving on the stone.

"These are remnants of a long forgotten language," said Zeke, "Luckily, I've spent my entire career studying dead languages and after a while me and the other were able to make out what most of them said. I believe they were a part of the temple wall that we managed to clean up enough to interpret."

He pointed to the tablet in front of Reiner, "That one reads, ' _The land we walk on is not of our own design_ '."

Then to the one in front of Marcel and Porco. " _The great 9 shall be our shepards, and us their humble flock._ "

" _Let them be our guides to power and greatness._ "

" _For we, are Eldia._ "

Everyone in the room stood in stunned silence, processing what they just heard.

After a few moments of silence Pieck suddenly spoke. "What about that one?" she asked as she point to the stone tablet that rest in front of Annie.

"Ah, now that one was a little difficult," Explained Zeke, "Some of the words are missing so it was hard to tell what the whole thing reads. All we got from it was ' _so they never..._ ' and that;s all we could get."

Annie barely paid attention to what was being said though. Her mind was still in shock from this entire reveal. Paradis Island, a supposed myth told to her long ago as a bed time story, a tale that had fascinated her in her childhood, might actually exist.

This was unreal.

"Okay, so we have these stone slabs with some old writing on in an even older language, anything else to go along with this?" asked Reiner as he wrapped the old stone back in its cloth.

Zeke nodded to his younger colleague and again, reached into the wooden chest. This time pulling out a seal Envelope.

Once the string was unwound, he open the top and pulled out a world map and spread it open across the table. "According to the dive team that found these old writings, their an uncharted and uninhabited island around 60 or so mile north-east of the dive sport right about here, just inside the Bermuda triangle," he point to a spot on the map in the north Atlantic sea, "Our job is simple, get on a boat, make it onto the island and look for any remnants of civilisation. If what these carvings say are true, and we bring back any proof of a mythological society, our payment is going to be a pretty big one."

"D-Did he just say the _Bermuda triangle-_?"

"Not now Braun." interrupted Zeke.

"So, how big are we talkin'?" asked Porco, folding his arms across his chest.

Their was a pause before Zeke said anything.

And when he did, it was followed by complete stunned silence.

"If we find anything, £20,000,000 each."

Shock and awe didn't even begin to cover it. £20,000,000!? that was more than enough to retire at their current age and live sitting pretty for the rest of their lives.

Reiner was the first one out of the 5 of them to recovering. "What?! Did you just say 20,000,000?! that fucking crazy!"

"I can't believe this..." whispered Bertholdt, who looked as though he was about to pass out.

"This is probably the best job we are ever going to get working here, but know how it works. Bigger pay means more danger to ourselves and considering where we're going, this job will have quite a few risks. I'll have a full contract sent over to your home within the next two day that will iron out every detail of this job. Anyone have anything to say?"

what was there left to say really? This was probably as good as it get. They had never had a job that the man upstairs wouldn't approve of unless they were sure they could bring something back.

"I'm in. No way am I gonna let an opportunity like this slip away." said Marcel, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

Porco looked to his older brother a little bit surprised. "You've decide already?" he asked. "Don't you want to hear more about it?"

"What more is their to know? We have a basic summary of what's expected of us and I trust our bosses to know what they're doing and I trust everyone here to get what we need just fine."

This was true. With every job they had they had always got it down and they all looked out for each other.

Even if their idiotic blonde team member got them chased down by idian pirates that one time.

"Alright, count me in as well."

"I'm going too. Not gonna let you guys get all the glory."

"I'll go as well."

"I trust Zeke and Marcel's judgement on this. I'll come along as well."

Zeke wasn't very surprised that they all agreed to do the job. There had never been a field assignment that his team couldn't handle, they were the best around. Plus, they all deserved it after the hard work they had all put in over their time here. And that means Zeke could retire early and live out his day in laziness and cigarette smoking.

The only person left to answer was Annie.

"And you, Annie?"

Annie was snapped out of her inner, looking up at Zeke.

Zeke noted on Annie's odd behaviour. Leonhardt didn't really say a lot in these meeting unless directly asked a question, after all she was a quiet girl by nature. But she was always attentive, focus. He noted that she had been a bit off throughout this whole meeting, she seemed distracted by something.

He addressed her again. "What are your thoughts on all this?"

She went back into quiet contemplation again for a few seconds before she spoke again.

"What more is there to say. The jobs good and it pays well. I'm in."

Zeke once again pushed his glasses up on his face, pleased with their collective decisions. "Okay everyone, this meeting is concluded."

* * *

All was quiet in Annie's flat as she stared down the paper that lay before her.

She had read through it about a dozen times, the briefing, the danger clauses, the risks, the requirements she would need to meet. This job was almost definitely worth the risk, almost all of their jobs were, but she was struggling.

The stories she had heard of this place as a child had not frightened her in the least. She'd taken on tuff jobs before and came out relatively unharmed. This shouldn't be bothering her so much. But it was. The memories it brought up with it, the emotion it stirred up inside her. Her childhood, her mother...

Her father.

Annie was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of her door knocking. She got up from her sofa to answer the door. When she opened it, she found Bertholdt and Reiner standing outside.

"Hey Annie," said Bertholdt politely, "is it okay for us to come in?"

Why were these two here. They didn't say they were coming over and she definitely remembers not inviting them to just chat. But they were heere now so no sense in turning them away.

She stepped aside, motioning to come in. hopeful a quick chat with theme might take her mind off how she's been feeling, if only for a little while.

They were good friends. Even if Reiner was a complete ass hat most of the time.

"Help yourselves to anything." she said after she shut the front door. Annie made her way over to the sofa and made herself comfortable. Both men shed their coast and hung them up on the coat rack by the door, Bertholdt made his way to Annie whilst Reiner beelined for the kitchen. She decided to get straight to the point.

"Now what to you want?"

Bertholdt was always a bit startle by her forwardness, still not quite used to it even after a near decade of knowing the Blonde girl. Annie noticed he was starting to sweat a little, something he did when he got nervous about anything. He looked over to Reiner, currently in her kitchen getting a glass of water for each of them, who gave him a knowing look and what looked like a nod of approval.

What the hell where these two doing?

Bertholdt swallowed the small lump that had build up in his throat, finally speaking up. "We just wanted come over and check on you. See if you were alright."

Annie raised an eye brown in confusing. They were here to check in on her?

"You seemed a little of in the meeting." Said Renier, making his way out of the kitchen with two glasses of water. He handed one to his friend, who gladly drank down nearly half the glass in one go, and sat down next to him. "You're usually more attentive than that and we were just wondering if anything has happen to take you of edge."

Just great. She hated when the two of them would but in when she wanted them two stay out of it. The rest of her colleagues knew when to keep out of her way so why couldn't the two?

"I'm fine," she said trying to sound as neutral as possible, "it's nothing."

She could tell that them didn't believe her. Unfortunately, they had known each other for too long for her to be able to hide things from one another for to too long. She had a feeling that by the time Reiner and Bertholdt were gone, she would have even more of a headache than before.

"I think I might know what this is about."

Dammit Bertholdt!

"Annie, does this have anything to do with your dad?"

"..."

"Annie...have you even spoken your father anything about all of this." Bertholdt started out nervously. He new this was a bit of a sensitive topic but it had to

Annie's silence said it all.

Reiner sighed in disappointment as Bertholdt looked on in concern Annie. "Annie, you can't avoid him forever. He's your father."

"Well he sure hasn't acted like it."

"I'm not saying he's dad of the year, I know that but when you go on this job-"

" _Enough_ Reiner."

But of course he didn't stop, "He's gonna want to know that his only kid is about to travel almost half way across the world to one of the most dangerous places on earth. You've never let him know before but this is a big deal. This is the biggest job we've ever take-"

Annie was done listening though, she had heard enough. "Listen, I couldn't give a crap about what he thinks of me any more. We gave up on one another years ago, so I don't see a reason to try and talk to him now. Now let that be the end of it."

"But Annie-"

"Out. Both of you."

Well, they had tried. The pair of them knew not to argue with their small friend when she used that tone. Both men grabbed their coats and made their way to the front door.

Before leaving, The tallest of the two looked back at her, a sad look in his eyes.

"Just think about it Annie." and with that simple statement, he left her house along with Reiner. "You still _have_ your father to turn to, don't forget that."

and with that, they were gone.

Annie turned to look out the window, the sky a dark grey as it prepare to bring the rain down. A perfect setting for her mood.

As she sat back in her chair, she laid her heaad in her hands.

' _Dammit_ ', she thought.

She hated this. She hated them.

And she hated them because they were right. Even after everything, after the hurt and betrayal, she just can't bring herself to completely hate him. She just couldn't. Because, deep down, a traitorous part of her still longed for her dad.

' _God dammit all._ '

What was she supposed to do.

* * *

 _ **Sorry for the extremely late update, I have no excuse other than my stupid college workload. I'll try to update more regularly.**_

 _ **See you in the next chapter.**_


	3. Chapter 3: A party and a supprise

With the kind of work that she did, it came with a few perks. Since Annie started her career at Marley and Co. in their Archaeological division in London Annie had travelled all around the world, seen sights that most men and women could only dream of, earned good money and she got to live her life's ambition since she was a young girl growing up back in Florida.

But it came with downsides.

Annie Leonhardt wasn't much of a socialiser. She had been that way even as a small child, with her only friends being Bertholdt and Reiner in her school years but that was it.

She hated socialising and these stupid mandatory work parties were one the things she hated most about her job.

Not all of them were mandatory though, however whenever her and her team were assigned on a job to hunt down old artefacts to sell to museums or collectors across the country to the highest bidder, they needed to be sponsored and have additional money for the recovery of whatever it was they were sent to find. This meant attending Parties full of rich people and snobby business tycoons that the company would through to show their _appreciation_ for their generous donation.

It was a pain in the ass.

She stood with others off to the side. Zeke had run off somewhere, claiming he had some quick business to attend to and that he would be right back, leaving them to their own devises.

Annie herself wore a beautiful sleeveless sapphire dress flowing down to the floor, a slit on it's left side to allow easier room to walk around. Although the heels she wore didn't exactly help. Her hair, free of it's usual tightly pulled up bun, flowed free down her neck and a little past her shoulders.

Pieck wore a similar dress, only hers had a single strap over her shoulder and was a ruby red. The boys suites all looked the same to her, the only thing that looked different was Bertholdt was the only one to wear a vest underneath his suit jacket, Reiner wore a navy blue suite while the other two wore black and Porco, instead of wearing his jacket properly, simply draped it around his shoulders. The 5 of them had only been her an hour and a half and so far things were pretty dull but running smoothly.

Meaning Braun and the youngest Galliard brother hadn't tried to strangle one another yet.

"Gotta admit, these shindigs are getting more boring by the year." said Reiner after downing the last of his champaign. He had decided to go easy on the drink tonight, thanks to Bertholdt's persuasion.

"I kinda like it." said Pieck. "It's an excuse for the rest of you hermits to get out and do something classy for a change."

"I can be classy!"

Marcel laughed at his friend's indignant response. "Well, that's debatable Reiner."

"Not you too..."

"Good to see your all still behaving yourself."

The group turned their head to spot Zeke walking back over to them, only he wasn't on his own this time. He was accompanied by someone else, a man who looked like he belonged to royalty. He had flowing gold coloured hair, sharp blue eyes, and a charming smile.

"Everyone, I like to introduce an associate of mine." He gestured to the gentleman standing to at his side, "This is Mr. Willy Tybur, the man who was kind enough to sponsor our latest expedition."

Each of them offered their greetings. They had all heard Willy Tybur, the man was a millionaire philanthropist who was adored by the entire world. The Tyburs were an old family who owned nearly over have the corporate industry in England, even a few others in Europe and across the Atlantic sea, but Willy was the one to stand out amongst them with his charity works, from Refugee crisis's to building homeless shelters, he offered his money and aid to the causes that needed it most.

To many people, this man was a modern day saint.

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you," said Willy after shaking each of their hands in greeting, "I wanted to be well acquainted with the team that will prove the Paradis legend true."

"It's an honour sir." said Reiner both eagerly but respectfully.

 _'Oh god, here we go,_ ' Annie thought, ' _he's not going to start kissing ass again is he?_ '

Reiner tended to do this with anyone that was remotely of a higher status than him. It was a lot worse when he was younger, always wanting to please everyone to gain respect and recognition. No one really knows exactly why he does it, why he needs to be recognised by others so badly, it was weird to Annie.

Then again, maybe it was because She never felt the need to be such a people pleaser like Reiner. She didn't care what others thought of her

"Forgive me for asking sir, but what interest do you have in archaeological findings?" asked Marcel.

"My family own many different museums around the country and we are looking for a new exhibit. Paradis has always been an interesting story to me and has inspired me in some aspects of my life, so the most recent findings were of great interest to us. We want to be a part of the people who turned a legend into real history."

Zeke took his turn to speak to his charges. "He'll be providing both funding and a crew when we set of to the island. The operation will be spear-headed by us and our crew captain will be an old family acquaintance, ex–commander Theo Magath. Unfortunately he wasn't able to attend tonight's festivities."

All of them had heard of the old retired general. There were many things Zeke didn't talk about, he was a mystery to all of them, but sometimes he would mention him in conversation.

"We'll bring back all the proof you sir. That's a guarantee." Said Reiner.

He looked at all of them, as though he was examining them all. It despite the friendliness of his expression, Annie suddenly felt a small chill run down her spine as he eyed them up.

"I'm counting on that resolve, Mr. Braun."

* * *

"Please Annie, you have to come!" exclaimed Reiner as they and the rest of their group walked out of the coffee shop. They had just finished for the day and had decided to make a quick stop at the nearest Starbucks and now the others were trying to convince the blonde girl to go out for a dinner.

They would be leaving London in a week's time today for the expedition to the island, so Reiner and the others had decided to go out and spend an evening with their loved ones the two nights before they're scheduled to leave.

Annie didn't have any family to say goodbye to so why did she have to go?

"There's no point in me going." She said as she drank the rest of her Coffee

"Of course there is," said Galliard, "everyone's going. Even Zeke's junior apprentice and his little brother are coming, as well as Reiner's cousin Gabi. It will be a fun night."

They spent a bit more time discussing it before they finally made it to work and went their separate way. By then, Reiner was still pestering her.

"You sure you don't want to go?"

"Look," she said sternly, "I appreciate the offer but I can't. I've finally managed to get everything together for this job and I just want to go home and catch up on some much on my sleep."

And with that, she walked away from the boys to her station.

"I'm really worried about her Riener," Said Bertholdt as they watched Annie's retreating back, "Ever since this whole thing started she seems, I don't know, rattled. Not herself."

"Yeah and we already know the problem." said Reiner.

Bertholdt nodded in understanding. "Her father."

"Yeah."

"What can we doing?"

"...I have an idea, I just have to hope she doesn't kill me afterwards."

* * *

Annie was glad to finally get home from work. The stress of getting everything ready for the trip had been exhausting and all she wanted now was a bit of rest.

It was the night of the farewell dinner but she still didn't plan on meeting with the other. And it wasn't that she didn't really wanted to go but a big crowed made Annie a little on edge.

And besides, being there with everyone, seeing them all with their families...

It would hurt more than she would ever admit.

Once she had made it inside, she found herself relaxing, glad to be home. Now she could catch up on some much needed sleep.

Or so she thought.

All of a sudden, a voice spoke from behind her, startling her.

"You've done well for yourself here."

If not for the familiarity of the voice, Annie would have attacked the intruder rather than freeze in utter shock.

It was a man, in his late fifties, standing in her kitchen doorway, a wooden cane in his grip. He looked at her with such an expression that she hadn't seen on his face in a long time.

Love.

After a brief moment of complete silence, Annie was finally able muster up something to say

"Dad...?"

* * *

 **DUN, DUN, DANNNN!**

 **And here he is, Papa leonhardt himself.**

 **Thank you for reading, let me know what you though.**

 **See ya!**


	4. Chapter 4: Forgiveness?

Everyone had decided on going to an American style all-you-can-eat buffet for their night out. It was the best in town and a place they visited frequently.

Once Zeke had checked them all in and decided on a table, They made their way to the buffet, each grabbed a plate and filled up.

The group had brought what family they were able. Reiner had brought his mother and younger cousin, Gabi Braun.

His mother is just what you'd expect from a middle aged mother. Kind, loving, supporting. Well, at least to him. She was a very simple woman with very simple expectations for her family. Gabi, however, she was a whole other ball game.

She was loud, bossy, opinionated, and not afraid of confrontation. But that was what Reiner admired in her. She may have been all of the above but she had a heart of gold and would do anything for anyone. She had spirit, a fire in her that is often hard to find in a person.

Gabi knew who she was. Which was a lot more then he could say about himself.

The others brought their families. Marcel and Porco brought there parents, Pieck Bertholdt doing the same. Zeke, being an orphan himself, brought along his grandparents since they were the ones who raised him and are the only living relative he had left.

He also brought along his apprentice from work, a kind young man named Colt Grice. Zeke even extended the invite to Colt's younger brother Falco, who happened to be a good friend of Gabi.

"Well, I don't know about you guys but I'm starving." said Marcel as they all sat back at the table, digging straight in to their food.

"So what do you think you'll find on the island Mr. Braun?" Asked Falco as he and Reiner returned with their plates and sat back down at the table.

"Not too sure. Maybe a few buildings, some broken pottery, maybe even a few skeletons from dead bodies."

"Reiner Braun, do not say such things whilst we eat!"

"S-Sorry mother..."

"Well I heard that there are devils on paradis," Said Gabi as she sneaked up Falco, making him jump, "because the people that died there now haught the island."

"That's stupid," said Falco as he cross he arms over his chest, "there's no such thing as devil."

"Course there are Falco," said Reiner, "how do you think Gabi came to be."

She giggled as he ruffled her hair.

This was great. Surrounded by friends and family, enjoyment all around him. Reiner loved it. It was just a shame that Annie wasn't able to enjoy it with them.

But maybe, after tonight, things would be different.

He just had to hope that he lived to see the results.

* * *

Annie couldn't move. She couldn't speak, she couldn't do anything as she stared at the man she hadn't seen in so long.

Johann Leonhardt hadn't aged well in the time they've spent apart. Despite only being in his mid forties, he had the face of a sixty year old man. He still carried his cane around, for a leg injury some years ago. His once blonde hair now only showed up as barely visible streaks in the mop of grey hair hidden under a black, wore down flatcap.

"You've grown so much. It's...it's good to see you again Annie."

Once again, it took a moment for Annie gather her thoughts as well as her voice. "How did you get in." it wasn't a question, it was a demand.

Johann immediately picked up on the subtle hint of forced restraint in his daughter's words. She wasn't happy to see him, not that he expected she would be, given the circumstances.

"A spare key. Your friend, Riener Braun I believe, contacted me and told me where you were. I have no idea how he managed to get my phone number, but He told me where to find you and where you lived. When I met up with him he mentioned you kept a spare key hidden under the flower pot outside. I knew you wouldn't have let me in yourself so..."

 _'That son of a bitch! When I get a hold of him...!'_

Wait a minute, how the hell did Reiner even get in contact with her father,? No one knew his number but...but...

 _'D-did he go through my phone? But that number is old and...'_ and it dawned on her that he never changed his phone number. Why?

Or, a much better question, _Why didn't I Delete it in the first place?!_

"Annie." her father said, disrupting her from her thoughts, "I was hoping we could talk. Maybe discuss some things and clear the air?"

"Why should I consider giving you the time of day?" was her immediate response.

This definitely would not be easy, trying to talk to her. Johann suspected years of resentment buried under the surface, he sees the anger and frustration in her eyes as they bore into his very soul. They were the same shade a blue like always, a winter ice blue, the same shade of his late wife.

"All I want is to say my piece. After that, if you still don't want me here, I'll go. I promise."

Annie's body was on auto-pilot as she strolled past him and into the kitchen and sat down at the dinning table, silently contemplating.

After one long, agonizing minute of slice between the two, Annie gestured for him to take the seat opposite to her.

"Fine."

Johann visible relaxed, grateful that she was willing to listen and took his seat.

"When you're mother past away all those years ago, I was heart broken. The woman I love, my soulmate, had been killed and I couldn't have done anything to prevent it. I was in a bad place, I wasn't fit to look after you properly. That's why I sent you to boarding school because they would give you proper care and stability. things I wasn't in a fit state to provide." he said, wringing his hands together, something he did when he was nervous if Annie's memory was correct.

"...Is that really the best excuse you can come up with?"

"I understand that you're angry, you have every right to be. But please believe me I only wanted what was best for you."

"You. Left. me!" Annie growled out through gritted teeth, her grief and anger finally making it to the surface.

"You left me on my own when I needed you the most! When mum died I was sacred and lost and angry! But the one thought at the time that kept me going was 'I still have my dad' or 'dad's gonna make this better'. But you couldn't even do that! You wouldn't even look at me for a whole week after she died, then you sent me off to a different country the first chance you got and didn't even bother looking back!"

"I know," he sounded so broken right now, just like her, "I know, and I'm so sorry. I wasn't able to get past my own pain and you suffered for it. I've failed as a father and for that, I'm more sorry than you could ever know."

Suddenly, Annie saw red in her vision. And before she could do anything, her body moved on it's own. She moved from her spot across the table and swung her fist right into Johann's face, knocking the old man off his chair and onto the floor.

But Annie didn't stop there. She bent down and grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him up from the floor. When she got him on his feet, she dragged him across the room and pinned him to the nearest wall. Despite the height difference between the two, it was clear that she was the stronger of the two.

"YOU'RE SORRY!?"

His only response a choking gasp.

"You honest think a simple 'sorry' is going to make up for all grief, _all the agony_ , you've caused me!? I've spent the last decade thinking that I was all alone! That I had no one! And do you know what the worst part of it was!? That you made me think it was my fault! But it wasn't, it was because you couldn't be man enough to put aside your own grief just for a second to makes sure that I was okay. Because you didn't...because you didn't love me any more..."

Annie didn't even notice that she had been crying until her voice cracked.

She felt her strength fading from her arms, her grip on Johann's shirt loosening until she let go completely, her arms going limp at her sides. She looked away from his face to stare at his chest, unable to look him in the eye any more.

Suddenly she felt a set of arms wrap themselves around her tightly. Just then, all of her strength was gone completely and she collapsed into his embrace, her body still unmoving.

"I don't expect you to ever forgive me, I know I don't deserve it. Natasha would be ashamed of me for what I've done to you. I understand if you don't want to see me ever again, because if that's what you want I will walk out that door and never come back. But I what you to know that I always have and _always will_ love, Annie Leonhardt. You're my whole world, don't your ever doubt that."

And just like that, Annie felt like a child again. Cradled in the warm and safe grip of her father's arms.

Despite herself, she wrapped her arms around him and began to cry like she hadn't cried before.

* * *

"How do you think it's going with Annie?" Whispered Reiner as he finished a second serving of Pizza.

"Not sure," Bertholdt whispered back, "I just hope nothing bad happens."

* * *

Annie stood by the sink as she used a damp cloth to clean Johann's face.

Once she had finally stopped sobbing and became level headed again, she notice the earlier damage she inflicted with her punch. She had got him right next to his eye, leaving swelling and a nasty gash just across the edge of his eyebrow. In her rage she didn't even notice the slowly bleeding wound.

Things had calmed down now. From a tense and unbearable atmosphere, a quiet and awkward one had took it's place.

Once she had finished wiping the blood from his face, she washed the rag out and set it down. She then made her way back over to the table chair, resting her head in her hands. She was exhausted, more so than she had ever been in her entire life. Both physically and emotionally, she was completely drained.

"I supposed it would be silly of me to ask if you're feeling any better now?"

Silly indeed.

Johann made made his way over to the table. He sat down on the seat next to her, looking at her with gentle eyes.

Anyone wouldn't think that she had just sucker punched an old man in the head.

She lifted her head from her hands, her eyes go straight to the cut above his eye. Now that she had calmed down, she was starting to feel a bit guilty for it. She had completely lost her cool, something she never did.

"...listen, about earlier. I'm sorry about th-." she mumble before being cut off.

"You've no need to apologies. Besides," he lifted his hand up to gently touch the skin surrounding the cut, "after everything that's happened between us over the years, this is the least I deserve."

That did little to make her feel better. But that could wait. They both needed to talk things through. If not, then all of this would be pointless.

Annie wanted at least some kind of closure to come out of this madness.

She decide that she would get the ball rolling. "Why was sending me away the best thing for me? Why couldn't you have just gone to a counsellor or something? There had to have been a better solution then just shipping me off to England."

He looked off to the side, a sad smile on his face. "Believe me, I wish that were true."

She could tell he had more to say, so she stayed silent.

"After your mother's funeral, I felt awful. I felt constantly exhausted and angry. Even the smallest little things made me angry and I lashed out at anyone around me. Do you remember the week before I sent you away? The night I yelled at you?"

It came back to her. It was late in the even, she should have been in bed but she couldn't sleep due to a nightmare she had woken up from. She went downstair, seeing as her father was still awake by the sound of the TV. She had asked him if she could sit down with him for a little while until she felt better.

He told her to go straight back to bed.

But, being still kid at the time, she perstisted and told him that she didn't want to go back up on her own. And just like that, he snapped.

He sprung up from the sofa, pointed up the stair and roared at her quick her bitching and that if she didn't get up stair he wouldn't be responsible for what happened next.

She bolted up the stair and spent the rest of the night huddled under the blanket, crying herself to sleep.

And for the first time in her life, she was afraid of him.

"When I saw that look on you're face I realised for the first time in my life, You were scared of me. No child should be frighten of their own parent. When you ran back to your room and I had realised what I had just done, I knew that you weren't safe around me. With the state I was in I didn't know what I would do next."

He was starting to get choked up. He looked back to he and gently put his hands over hers. She didn't pull away.

"I-I didn't want to hurt you Annie. I knew that if you stayed with me I would do something I'd regret and I didn't want that. So-So I got online and enrolled you into the best school as far away from me as possible. When I left you it broke my but I knew you would be taken well cared of. After that, I got help. I Went to counselling, I visited Natasha's grave so I could properly grieve and I surrounded myself with good people."

"Then you didn't you call me when you got better?" asked Annie.

"I don't know. I suppose it was the guilt of what I did, the thought that you would hate me for sending you away was what stopped me from coming to get you. And the more time passed, the harder it got to face what I had done."

He had done it to protect her. It still didn't help ease the pain she felt over the past decade, it did provide her with answers.

"It hurt me,"She began, "It hurt me when we got of the plane and you just left me at the school gate without looking back. I hurt that whenever I wrote to you, I didn't get anything back or when you wouldn't visit me over the holidays. I felt like I wasn't loved any more, like I had no parents at all. I didn't want to be around people because I believed that in the end they would let me down just like you did. I was anti social and bitter, I guess a still am in some aspect."

This is the most she's properly spoken to someone since she was a child. It felt oddly good to get this all off her chest.

"But...I'm doing just fine here. I have made friends, despite my anti-social tendencies. I've got a well paying job that I actually enjoy..."

"I've heard. Your mother would be proud of what you've accomplished here, just as I am.

She couldn't help it. She could feel the smile forming on her face, even if it was just a small one.

They still had a lot to talk about, to sought through. But this, right here in this moment, was as good a place as any to start.

"I can't forgive you, not yet."

The old man took his daughter's hands in his in an effort to bring her some comfort. "It will take time. But I'll wait, I'll wait as long as you need for you to forgive me. And if and when that day comes I'll always be by your side."

To that, she gentle squeeze his hands back and thanked him.

* * *

The day finally arrived for them to set off for the island. They stood at the docks as they all watched the sun slowly begin to rise above the horizon, a beautiful sight before they set off into the unknown.

In the chilly morning air, the group only awaited on one more to arrive.

Reiner and Bertholdt were starting to get nervous. With only twenty minutes before they depart and with Annie nowhere in sight, the were beginning to think that maybe their earlier plan had been a terrible idea.

The others had noticed her absence as well.

"I wonder where she is? " pondered Pieck as she adjusted her duffle bag over her shoulder.

"Same here. Annie's never this late to the meet up spot." said Zeke. He turned to Braun and Hoover, seeing as the were her closest friends, well, he assumed they were at least. They had an odd dynamic.

"Hey Reiner," he called over the the blonde, "any idea where she is?"

Why did he look so nervous at the question?

Before he could answer, the heard the sound of a car approaching. From around the corner came a taxi, coming to a stop just a ways from the group.

And from the from the front seat, came their missing companion.

And she didn't look pleased.

Before anyone could inquire as to her earlier whereabouts, she made a be line for Reiner. He looked like a man about to die by the time she reached him.

"Annie Wait, let me explain-!"

She punched him right in the stomach.

Reiner toppled over, landing on his knees as he clutched his stomach, groaning in pain.

"Annie!?"

"What the hell!?"

"Pfft, nice hit."

Reiner lifted his head up, daring to look her in the eye. "This for going behind you back about Johann?"

She nodded.

"And that I took your phone?"

"Yes."

He let out a painful chuckle as he struggled to his feet. "Yeah, guess I should have expected that. But going by the fact that a punch in the gut was all I got, things went well?"

"...You could say that."

The others looked on, confused as to the the hell just happened.

"Well," began Zeke, "If you two have settle your...disagreements...Are we all ready to depart?"

Annie looked to him, a spark in her eyes that he had not seen before. Whatever had happen between her, Reiner and the Johann person, it seemed to have brought a bit of life back into her eyes.

She nodded to him, her and Reiner walking over to the rest of them.

They were ready.

* * *

 **Well that was quick. I wanted to get the next chapter up before I went back to college.**

 **Now about Gabi and Falco, I wanted them involved now simply because I don't see them fitting anywhere else into this story, at least not right now. And yes, I know that right now Gabi is now probably the most hated person in the entire manga, more so than Flotch, but I couldn't not giver her a place in this story.**

 **Anyway, thank your for reading and I look forward to your feedback. Your comments give me the encouragement to improve and write.**

 **See ya!**


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